How to Stain & Touch Up Beams

Staining Unfinished Beams

AZ Faux Beams Unfinished beams can be finished in a number of ways. The beams are coated in a primer coat which aids with the adhesion of several stain products.

Easy, Quick Method

With a painters brush, apply a Gel Stain to the beams. Most Gel Stains allow for long working times and are typically more forgiving.

(Preferred) Delux Finish Method

Prime the beam in a high-quality latex paint, such as Benjamin Moore's 023 interior primer or Sherwin Williams # 6108 Latte is the color in Emerald Satin or Matte. Primer colors can drastically change the look of the finished product. Once completely dry (please follow drying instructions on can) apply a deck stain. We recommend Benjamin Moore's Arborcoat Semi-Solid Deck stains, which can be formulated in just about any color. Deck stains can be applied by roller or brush. Simply use a rag to lightly wipe the beam until you reach the desired effect.

Touching Up Finished Beams*

*The steps required to touch up finished/pre-finished beams vary depending on the beam style. Please find the beam style that you purchased and follow those instructions for the best results.

Sandblasted & Old Timber

Quickship Rich Walnut Beams

Quickship beams are available prefinished in an interior grade rich walnut stain. Most often, touch up can be done with a black sharpie. Rich Walnut Touch Up Stain for Sandblasted and Old Timber beams is available for purchase. The rich walnut is a solvent based stain that must be lightly feathered on. The stain dries very quickly and a little goes a long way. To touch up the beam, we strongly suggest practicing on a scrap piece first. We recommend a 20-24 gauge paint brush.

Lightly apply the stain to the tip of the brush

Wipe excess stain off the brush until it's nearly dry

Lightly feather the brush over the desired area to apply stain

A little goes a long way.

*Do not use these beams outdoors without a clear UV protector, please see our note below under “Outdoor Use” !!

Custom Finished Beams

Custom Sandblasted & Old Timber faux beams are available in seven colors. Touch-up kits are available for all those colors. These colors can be touched up relatively easy with a standard paint brush and rag.

Not applying the stain correctly can cause two issues.

Touch up area can become very dark

Too much stain can reactivate dry stain on the beam. This reactivation can actually remove stain if not carefully applied.

*Outdoor use - The rich walnut finish that is available for Quickship Sandblasted & Old Timber beams is an interior grade stain and should not be used outdoors without UV protection. If using the product outdoors, we recommend purchasing the unfinished product or upgrading to one of our premium finishes. If you would like to use the prefinished rich walnut beams outdoors, a third party UV protective coating must be applied over the beams to prevent fading.

Rustic, Majestic & Rough Sawn

Quickship Walnut Beams

Quickship beams are available prefinished in an exterior grade walnut stain. The walnut stain kit is a two step process (with a base color and highlight) that is solvent based stain must be lightly feathered on. The stain dries very quickly and a little goes a long way. To touch up the beam, we strongly suggest practicing on a scrap piece first. We recommend a 20-24 gauge paint brush.

Lightly apply the stain to the tip of the brush

Wipe excess stain off the brush until it's nearly dry

Lightly feather the brush over the desired area to apply stain

A little goes a long way.

Hand Hewn, Old Tuscan, Woodcrafted, Wind Drift & Saw Cut

These five beams are available prefinished in an exterior grade walnut stain. The touch up stains must be lightly feathered on. The stain dries very quickly and a little goes a long way. To touch up the beam, we strongly suggest practicing on a scrap piece first. We recommend a 20-24 gauge paint brush.

Dip paint brush into stain and let stain drip out of brush

Wipe or brush off stain left in brush onto a clean cotton rag or towel

Quickly “dry brush” remaining stain onto area to be patched

Do not put stain on top of existing stain- the dry stain will become darker with multiple coats.